Report looks at role of volunteers

Volunteering is widely commended as a form of active citizenship, bringing benefit,for example,to disadvantaged communities, aged and sick people and, in the case of hospices, people at the end of life. Yet in many care homes for older people, volunteers are rarely seen. Why should his be so? What is it about are homes that may deter potential volunteers? Published by the Relatives and Residents Association (R&RA), Rose Heatley’s study explores some of these issues, looking at the pattern of volunteering in care homes,identifying some of the reasons for its absence in many homes and investigating what benefits volunteers might bring to the daily life of residents. In an area where little is known and even less has been written about â€“ the role of volunteering â€“the report makes an important contribution to extending our knowledge. # The report Volunteers in Care Homes is available, price Â£7.50 (Â£5 for R&RA members) direct from the R&RA, 4 The Ivories, 118 Northampton Street, London N1 HY. Order forms a